Electric light socket



Jan. 9, 1940. A. woLF ELECTRIC LIGHT SOCKET Filed Deo. 16, 1957 TORNEY Patented Jan. 9, 1940 PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC LIGHT SOCKET Abi-ehem wen, New York, N. Y., ...einer te Noma Electric Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application December 16. 1937, Serial No. 180,086

3 Claims.

This invention relates to portable electric lighting outiits of the type used for Christmas. tree ornamentation and for similar illuminated display purposes. More particularly, my invention relates to an improved construction for the electric light sockets used with such lighting outfits.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an electric light socket construction of the character described, having novel means for attaching said sockets to a branch of a Christmas tree, or to any other support.

Another object of my invention is to provide an electric light socket of the character described and novel mounting means therefor, which shall u comprise relatively few and simple parts, which shall be economical to manufacture, easy to assemble and which at the same time shall be highly eicient for the purposes intended.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements,v

and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompany drawing, in which is shown one of the various possible embodiments of this so invention:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of an electric light socket of the type used in Christmas tree lighting outfits and embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the attaching member only, illustrated in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of the attaching member shown in Fig. 4.

Referring now in detail to the drawing and particularly to Figs. 1 to 4, there is shown an electric light socket of the type well known in the art and used on Christmas tree or similar portable display lighting outfits and provided with a husk of insulating material, a lamp 2| and suitable lead wires 22 connected to the socket in the manner well known in the art. The outer wall of the husk 20 is provided with a relatively narrow recessed area 23 which may be disposed parallel to the axis of the socket 20. The longitudinal side edges 23a may be slightly tapered, as shown, for reasons which will soon become apparent. For attaching the socket 20 to any support, such as for example a branch B of a Christmas tree, I have provided an attaching member 25 clearly shown in detail in Fig. 4 of the drawing and comprising a strip of resilient material bent over on itself to form two arms 26 and 21 interconnected by a loop 26. A'I'he arm 5 21 is preferably made at and is of predetermined size so that it may be slidably received in the recessed area 23. The attaching member 23 will be prevented from falling out of the recess 23 due to 'the tapered edges 23a of the seid recess. 1 To facilitate the assembling of the attaching member 23 the arm 21 is provided adjacent the upper portion thereof with a pair of notches 28' to permit the arm 21 to be readily received in the recess 23. In assembling the member 23 and socket 20, the bottom cap 29 of the socket is first unscrewed from the husk 20, after which the arm 21 of the member 25 is slidably tted into the recess 23 from the bottom thereof in an upward direction. The cap 29 is then screwed back into place and the attaching member 25v is thus held captive. To facilitate the gripping of the branch B between the arms 26 and 21, either of said arms, such as for example the arm 26, may be provided with struck out portions delining u sharp pointed projections 30 designed to more firmly grip the branch B. If desired, both the' arms 26 and 21 may be provided with struck-out projections 30. o

It is also understood that the attaching member 25 may be frictionally engaged and held in the recess 23 and therefore may be used with the type of socket which does not have a bottom cap detachably attached thereto.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modified form of my invention in which the attaching member l0 is constructed in a manner similar to that of the member 25 with the arms II and l2 interconnected by the portion 43. In this form instead of the struck-out projections 30 on the arm 26, the arm 42 is provided with bent over longitudinal edge portions Il, the upper edges of which are serrated, as shown, to facilitate the gripping of the branch B between the arms 4| and I2. Ihe member 40 is attached to the socket 20 by having the arm Il slidably received in the recess 23.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted w to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter u herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In an electric light holder, a husk of insulating material having a recessed area in the outer surface thereof, the bottom wall of said recessed area being below said husk outer surface, an attaching member comprising a strip of resilient material bent substantially in half to provide a pair of interconnected spaced arms adapted to grip a support therebetween, one of said arms being so constructed and arranged as to be slidably and frictionally received in -said recessed area, said recessed area extending upwardly from the bottom edge of said husk, and a bottom cap mounted on said husk, and having a portion thereof adapted to overlie the lower end of said recessed area and thereby hold said attaching member captive on said husk.

2. In an electric light holder, the combination of a husk of insulating material having a recessedarea in the outer surface of the side wall thereof, said recessed area having a bottom wall and adjacent side walls, an attachment member comprising a strip of resilient material bent substantially in half to provide a pair of interconnected arms spaced from each other in superimposed alignment and adapted to grip a support therebetween, one of said arms being so constructed and arranged as to be freely slidably received in said recessed area, portions of the said side walls of said recessed area being disposed in overhanging relationship with respect to said bottom wall to prevent said last named arm from falling out of said recessed area, and a bottom -cap detachably mounted on said husk, said bottom cap having a portion 

